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LPS SoftPro

ABA11 Winner / How to Enter

Company: LPS SoftPro, Raleigh, NC
Company Description: LPS SoftPro is the nation’s leading provider of closing, title and escrow software. Offering award winning solutions designed to increase volume and revenue, SoftPro delivers innovative technologies to streamline the closing process. SoftPro has been recognized by the American Business Awards every year since 2007 for superior customer service, support and product development.
Nomination Category: Support Awards Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Support Department of the Year

Nomination Title: LPS SoftPro - Making the Impossibly Difficult Look Easy

    Tell the story about what this nominated department achieved since January 1 2010 (up to 500 words). Focus on specific accomplishments, and relate these accomplishments to past performance or industry norms. Be sure to mention obstacles overcome, innovations or discoveries made, and outcomes:

        For almost a decade, SoftPro has been honored for the high level of service it
provides its customers – winning awards for superior customer service and
support.  2010 proved to be a more challenging year than most, but the level of
service SoftPro customers received was better than ever.

        In 2010, SoftPro’s Customer Support Department was responsible for supporting
the implementation of three major product innovations:

•     A major redesign of the primary software screens in SoftPro’s 3 main
platforms to comply with sweeping regulatory changes (the first in 30 years)
mandated by the Real Estate Settlement and Procedures Act.

•     SoftPro 360, an e-commerce tool that allows SoftPro customers to order
closing and title products and services from third party vendors while working
in SoftPro.

        •     SoftPro Select, the most advanced generation of SoftPro, requiring a
significant amount of customization and support when deployed at large, multi-
user sites.

        SoftPro’s Support Department hit the ground running on January 1st — the day
all 50,000 real estate professionals in SoftPro’s core customer base were
required by law to use the new RESPA-compliant HUD forms. Knowing that many
customers waited until the last minute to transition to the new compliant
software, SoftPro developed educational webinars and the Support Department
geared itself up to take calls. As a result:

•     The team fielded 33% more calls in January 2010 than it had in the same
month the year before — and a total of 50,000 more calls over the course of the
year.

        •     Despite the increase in call volume, customers continue to be pleased
with the level of service they received. Customer survey responses from 6% of
Support Calls (3,000 responses total!) revealed an average combined score
for “Helpfulness”, “Timeliness”, and “Courtesy” of 9.3 on a 1-10 scale (with 10
being the highest score)!

        During the same period, SoftPro’s Customer Support Department was also rolling
out SoftPro 360, which involved:

•     Providing support and troubleshooting integration issues for 11 real
estate vendors offering products and services via SoftPro’s e-commerce
platform, and educating SoftPro customers on how to take advantage of the new
360 functionality.

        Given the distinct knowledge and technical skills required to support SoftPro’s
most advanced and customizable software, SoftPro Select, SoftPro spun off a
dedicated team of specialists, who in 2010:

        •     Upgraded 30 of SoftPro’s largest customer sites— serving more than
1,200 users — to SoftPro Select.

        •     Averaged 8 to 16 hours per upgrade helping larger SoftPro customers
customize SoftPro Select around their business workflow in order to achieve
huge gains in day-to-day productivity.

        Throughout the year, SoftPro’s Support Department awarded employees with time
off and other incentives for responsiveness to customers  —including “ZERO
Calls in The Queue” competitions and “All Teams on Deck” days, where volunteer
employees from all departments answered customer calls for support.

        It was a challenging year for SoftPro’s Support Department — but SoftPro
customers, who continued to receive extraordinary support for all their needs,
were able to rely on SoftPro in 2010 as they had every year before.

    List hyperlinks to any online news stories, press releases, or other documents that support the claims made in the section above. IMPORTANT: Begin each link with http://, and enclose each link in square brackets; for example, [http://www.youraddress.com]:

        http://www.hud.gov/offices/hsg/ramh/res/respa_hm.cfm

        http://www.alta.org/respa/index.cfm

        http://www.softpro360.com

        http://softprocorp.com/F-News-032111.php

        http://softprocorp.com/P-Select.php

        http://softprocorp.com/F-News-062210.php

    Provide a brief (up to 100 words) biography about the leader(s) of the nominated organization/department:

        Amy Riggsbee is the Senior Vice President of Implementation and Support for
SoftPro. She joined SoftPro in 1999 as a Support Analyst, and later became VP
of Support Services. While VP of Support Services, Amy led the SoftPro Solution
Center in becoming the #1 rated support center in the industry. Amy is a
Certified Help Desk Manager and serves as Vice President of Programs for the
local chapter of Help Desk Institute. In addition to help desk experience, Amy
has 16 years of real estate industry experience.